Presidential Search

Message from the Chair of the Presidential Search Committee

January 16, 2018

Happy New Year and good wishes for the start of a new semester. I am thrilled to share this update on the presidential search, as we get closer to selecting the College’s 14th president. The clear and simple aspiration of the search process has been to find the best person to lead CNR, someone passionate, driven, energetic, and compelled by our mission.

The search process reached a broad audience and led to 100 applications, all reviewed and categorized. Our search partner RH Perry screened and evaluated the applicant pool and identified the top 50 candidates. They did significant due diligence, interviews, and reference checks on the strongest candidates—18 individuals. The search committee was tasked with doing its own review of the leading candidates. The committee met for five hours in late November and chose 11 semi-finalist candidates. Nine of those candidates decided to remain in the search, and on December 16 and 17, the search committee met with each candidate for an in-depth, structured interview. This work led to the selection of four finalist candidates. All have strong academic credentials and demonstrable success in various leadership roles at colleges and universities.

We have invited the four finalists to meet with the College Community. Four sessions, each lasting two full days, are scheduled for: January 29/30, February 1/2, February 5/6 and February 8/9. During these meetings, candidates will spend time with students, faculty, staff, trustees, alum and the College’s leadership team. The schedule for these meetings will be posted shortly. Your attendance and enthusiastic participation are essential. We will provide more information about each of the candidates as the campus visits draw closer.

I am very proud of our work and very excited with our results so far. I am grateful to the search committee for its rigorous and unselfish participation—for its candor and collaboration. I am also grateful to all of you for your advice, recommendations, and wisdom as we move through this important and transforming process.